Thermoregulation is the ability of the human body to keep its internal temperature within certain boundaries even when the surrounding temperature is very different. In doing so, the human body uses methods such as shivering and sweating. Shivering is a bodily function in response to early hypothermia or coldness. Meanwhile, sweating is an essential function that helps the body to stay cool. However, drastic changes in the surrounding temperature can make a direct impact on the thermoregulation process resulting in hyperthermia or hypothermia. Developments in technology have resulted in products that can keep the human body within normal temperature ranges. For instance, heaters and warm clothing can be used to avoid body temperature from dropping below a certain temperature. Similarly, air conditioning and fans can be utilized to prevent body temperature from rising above a certain temperature.
The most widespread method of cooling the air in homes and buildings is through the use of air conditioning. Air conditioning relies on a refrigerant as a working fluid. Heat is extracted from this working fluid and then the working fluid is directed through a hot airflow. The working fluid absorbs heat from the airflow, thus cooling the air. The cooler air is then pumped back into the living areas of the home or building. Air conditioning can be found in nearly all modern homes, buildings, and even motor vehicles. Unfortunately, air conditioning requires a large amount of electricity in order to operate the associated fans, pumps, and compressors. In comparison, fans are much more cost effective.
Fans are simply contraptions which utilize an electric motor that is attached to a rotary blade. The rotary blade is shaped such that when it spins, air is pulled in through the back of the fan and propelled out the front. This flow of air is often directed over a person in order to maximize the cooling received by the person. The airflow provided by a fan can help cool a person in two ways. First, the airflow can help sweat evaporate, thus making the person feel much cooler. Second, the airflow can help remove heat from the person by way of convection. There are many different types of fans which can be commonly found in workplaces and homes across the country. Some of these types of fans include, but are not limited, to box fans, oscillating fans, and ceiling fans. Both box fans and oscillating fans can be physically repositioned by a user in order to better cool the user by directing the airflow over the user. Unfortunately, this is not the case for ceiling fans. The size of ceiling fans makes them very effective at providing the user with cooling. However, the rigid nature of the ceiling fan prevents the airflow it produces from being redirected. This is a major flaw as the airflow produced by a fan must flow over the user in order for the user to feel any cooling effect from the fan.
The objective of the present invention is to address the aforementioned issue. In particular, the present invention introduces a device that can be utilized to change the airflow of a regular ceiling fan. The effective design of the present invention allows the present invention to be used on a variety of ceiling fans. Additionally, the present invention can be either controlled manually or remotely with a smart phone or other comparable device.